Kai as a permanent member

[H. Blackrose]

Although it would probably be healthy for Von to take the next 5 years off for his own health, if TSOM are to continue in the short term, I think on current evidence we should get together a petition - a crowdfunder, if necessary - to ensure that Kai will become a permanent member.

[Planet Dave]

Crowdfunder? I've just spent a small fortune on merch dammit! Not to mention the tickets for Esprit D'Air's Leeds gig and a pre-ordered CD of Oceans. Kai has his own band which keeps him pretty busy, but for sure I'd absolutely love it if he can make time in the future for his 'Saturday job' with The Sisters. That goes without saying. Come to that, any future tour schedules would benefit fitting around Duncan Kilburn's free time too

[Being645]

Absolutely Planet Dave ... ... next year Esprit D'Air and Diamond Black are first of all touring the UK and the continent, and Chris Catalyst will also have to organise his solo and Eureka Machines stuff, when he's back in Leeds, while Von may relax and play around right to his liking for months with his newly gathered impressions in the home studio ... ...

[DJW]

Necessity is the mother of invention. I’m impressed how the band have turned the tour around from firing their most creative stimulus in years and dealing with Von’s health challenges to finally finding a new live sound that really does justice to material new and old. They are resilient if nothing else.

My sense is that Chris has had a big role in beefing up the Doktor and enabling more intra-tour tweaks - the new coda to Lucretia being a prime example.

Who knows where this journey leads, but it does seem oddly bright!

[H. Blackrose]

Oh, I forgot about Chris. That's a problem because he keeps dropping these huge hints in interviews that he wants his old job back, and there's not room for all three (since Von doesn't want to go back to having a live bass player).

[FireInReptileHouse]

As nice as this as and as well as he's doing. I'm sure he's very busy, I think and hope all being well it'll be a Ravey Christo Catalyst Von lineup after this tour

[mh]

I'd like to see Kai in permanently, he adds some good energy to the band that I didn't know they'd needed until I saw them with him.

[Dan Cougar]

I thought they sounded generally great in 2022. People complained as they always have but I didn't mind the growling and my only complaint with the newer songs tended to be that they were light on verse lyrics (that bit at the end of "Under the Gun" being IMHO one of his worst placed best moments).
When I finally saw videos of the kick-off in May I was almost relieved I didn't make it. But subsequent shows indicated it was by design, not a one night fluke. By the time I finally saw them in June it mostly seemed to work. I could hear Eldritch in the sense of recognizing his presence in the mix, and with the crazy amount of audience participation it ended up being an amazing show. I met Dylan outside after and he gave me a pick, seemingly pulling it out of thin air.
So it was a bummer to see him ousted. I attributed the completion of so many new tracks to his presence, and I have to think that he'd simply hit a wall or breaking point to have lasted that long only to go out in that manner. (I hope that it is a relationship that, if it cannot be repaired, won't hinder the band moving forward.) Seeing the band performing short a member and then hearing of hospitalizations and cancellations was a real downer. I began to think they were simply running the wheels off the bus and when it came crashing to a halt there'd be little left to salvage.
Just a few weeks later Chris is nurse, they have a new guitarist that looks as natural in the band as anyone ever has... And they sound great again.
I've never stopped wondering why they sounded so different this year to begin with, given that it seems to have been a deliberate choice. A couple reasons come to mind. The first one I considered is that Europeans are more familiar with their whole discography with those preferring the old sound/lineup being very, and often rudely, vocal about it. Like many US fans I discovered them through Vision Thing, although they were far from unknown (and just as far from well-known) for years before then. Maybe having been invited to play a rock show, "discovering" that newer fans are generally more receptive to both their harder sonic elements and newer songs, and that the tour was kicking off in the US, the band simply attempted to up the volume all around.
The second reason is similar to the first, but instead of trying to sound heavier (or more contemporary) for American fans, both North and South, they were simply playing larger than usual venues. But they were not exactly playing cafes and house shows in 2022, so that one doesn't seem very likely.
The third reason would simply be that Eldritch wanted the band to bury him in the mix. People were saying, often at the same time, that Eldritch could not sing any longer and was using a backing track. And now that he is suddenly audible again the question of whether he is lip-syncing or sweetening the mix is not an unreasonable one. He's surely lip synced before, the Top of the Pops performances when promoting Floodland come first to mind. Eldritch can be almost inaudible even on studio tracks such as 1959 and even More (the latter for dynamic contrast) and it would be little surprise to learn the mix of quiet whispers and loud guitars is/was a difficult one to get right.
It's a two-fold mystery. Is the mystery why they sound good again? Or is it why they sounded so differently in May-October than when touring last year with the same members and material? Or is it both?

[H. Blackrose]

As nice as this as and as well as he's doing. I'm sure he's very busy, I think and hope all being well it'll be a Ravey Christo Catalyst Von lineup after this tour

We had that for most of the last decade. It was boring and there was hardly any new material. Also: Ben is not likely to want to give up his role as "senior guitarist".

[copper]

We don't get a vote. Otherwise, I'd go for a six-piece (Dave as Nurse, Chris on bass, Kilburn on sax).

If crowdfunding's the game, I wonder if Von could be arsed to do an illustrated lyrics (poetry) book. Would buy one.

[ribbons69]

It's very possible that aside of the handful of gigs in January the Sisters won't tour at all in 2024, so they don't need a permanent guitarist. As for crowdfunding, what for? When the band are on tour they get paid, other than that, they have no other duties. Do you want to pay Kai a retainer to keep his diary open? How much? Here in the UK the basic "national living wage" is over 20 000 pounds a year, you're not going to get that money from crowdfunding, and if you do then you have to pay it Ben and Ravey/Chris as well, so suddenly is 80 grand.

[eastmidswhizzkid]

everyone in the band has a "proper" job. Ravey customises guitars, Ben and Chris are in several bands and Eldo is the international avocado baron par excellence. Nobody is on a wage other than when the band is touring. i daresay that includes the eternally loyal crew..

[Depprocksfarfar]

It's very possible that aside of the handful of gigs in January the Sisters won't tour at all in 2024, so they don't need a permanent guitarist. As for crowdfunding, what for? When the band are on tour they get paid, other than that, they have no other duties. Do you want to pay Kai a retainer to keep his diary open? How much? Here in the UK the basic "national living wage" is over 20 000 pounds a year, you're not going to get that money from crowdfunding, and if you do then you have to pay it Ben and Ravey/Chris as well, so suddenly is 80 grand.

I fell pretty convinced they will be back on a full tour in May.

[Todashi]

Whatever about Kai - I'm completely ambivelant about the guy - whoever is doing the sound mixing should be locked down.

Kai deserves major credit for stepping and keeping things going. I haven't heard anything from him guitar-wise that is in any way notable, but hey if he brings the vibe, fits in and makes everyone's touring experience better then good for him. But overall, seriously, what they're doing now works better than it has in a long long time. Set that s**t in concrete.

We've got:

Seriously improved stage presence (possibly because of/inc Kai, so credit where it's due etc)
Great vocals from Von, for the first time in 20 years
Amazing new songs that are being continually tweaked and have to be approaching 'finished'
Significant touches to the back catalogue that have refreshed it for the first time since 2006.
Guest appearances from significant performers - Terry Nunn and Duncan Kilburn on sax
Regularly updated stage shows and lights.

Like, if you've been a fan for a while take a second to read over that list. Ask yourself whether ANY of that s**t was likely in 2018 or 2019.

My big fear is that the reason Von is throwing himself into this so strongly is that he knows something we don't. I'd love to think this is the start of a golden era, and not the end.

Ideally they come off this tour, take six months off and enjoy the afterglow of a job well done, in fact a job SPECTACULARLY redeemed given the mess at the start and ill health etc, and then plan to tour further next year. I'd love to see them again.

But everything has to come to an end eventually. Hopefully that's not for some time.

[ruffers]

Am I the only one who'd welcome Dylan back given how the band moved forward in the short time he was there?
Hope he's OK.

[FireInReptileHouse]

As nice as this as and as well as he's doing. I'm sure he's very busy, I think and hope all being well it'll be a Ravey Christo Catalyst Von lineup after this tour

We had that for most of the last decade. It was boring and there was hardly any new material. Also: Ben is not likely to want to give up his role as "senior guitarist".

yea, i mean thats true, but i think the momentum is different this time, and hopefully it carries on that way

[paint it black]

I've heard he's staying.

[paint it black]

Not so sure Ben wants Von in his band though

[paint it black]

Chris, Von, Kai and female nurse.

[Husek]

Oh, I forgot about Chris. That's a problem because he keeps dropping these huge hints in interviews that he wants his old job back, and there's not room for all three (since Von doesn't want to go back to having a live bass player).

Chris addressed that on twitter yesterday, we know he's a closeted heartlander so he probably saw your post

Personally, I'd love having Mr.Catalyst back on stage, since he left, some songs simply don't work anymore due to the lack of his backing vocals (Crash and Burn and Flood 2 for instance, arguably Vision Thing);
Another thing that happened since Chris left, which may or may not be a coincidence, is that we have less FALAA/pre-falaa songs being played and we don't have ridiculous covers (I miss them immensely) anymore.


Now, I'm glad that Dylan was a thing, and during his time in the band, we got DOZENS of new songs, but I'm not a huge fan of his playing style, or his stage-persona if that makes any sense (lovely chap though).


Finally, Kai:

Kai is a very interesting guitar player, and watching him play with the sisters is the strangest thing because it feels like he's been in the band forever, you may call it a 'natural fit', I wouldn't be mad if Von decided to keep Kai for good.

(Bonus: Von does not want a Bass Player, we all know that, but how about making this as silly as possible, and having three guitar players on stage at once? [I'm looking at you Iron Maiden] Ben is still doing his thing, Kain is doing an ace job with all the clean strings/12 strings, and I wouldn't mind having Robochrist's chugs back)

[Purple Light]

Am I the only one who'd welcome Dylan back given how the band moved forward in the short time he was there?
Hope he's OK.

Nope me too!

[Purple Light]

I'm a bit with Todashi on this re Kai, from a playing point of view I've not heard anything quality. Anything much full stop. I do genuinely question if he's actually playing sometimes. That said, great stage presence (though he's got no rhythm!) and Von is clearly having a good time so great.

I'd take Dylan back in a heartbeart (loud).

[g44fr]

Is Kai the new Wayne ?

[Husek]

Is Kai the new Wayne ?

Dylan is the new Wayne, they are even calling him 'the previous guitar player', 'that guy' and avoiding naming him on interviews

[H. Blackrose]

Is Kai the new Wayne ?

No, That Guitarist was more feminine-appearing